Emergency cut-off valve for steam-engines.



No. 883,480; PATENTED MAR. 31, 1908.

W. D.RANNEY. EMERGENCY QUIT-OFF VALVE FOR STEAM ENGINES.

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WILLIAM D. RANNEY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

EMERGENCY CUT-OFF VALVE FQ'IvJSTEAM-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Eat/exit.

Application filed August 31, 1907.

Patented March 31, 1908.

Serial No. 390,846.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM D. RANNEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Emergency Cut- OffValves for Steam-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

In stationary high speed steam engine practice it is quite a frequentoccurrence that the engine will run away, that is, become uncontrolledby the mechanism provided in connection with the engine for thatpurpose. The running away of an engine is fraught with. great danger tothe engineer and persons who happen to be near it. Among the mostfrequent causes of the running away of an engine is the breaking of thegovernor belt, the disabling of the governor itself, or the suddenrelease of a heavy load in the way of work imposed on the engine. Theordinary throttle for cutting off steam in such an emergency is not onlycommonly located at a dangerous place, to-wit: near the fly-wheel, butsuch throttle is also slow in operation.

The object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide meanswhereby the steam supply in the exigency of a runaway or disabledengine, can be quickly cut off and with comparative safety to the lifeand limbs of the engineer or person undertaking it.

The invention consists in the construction hereinafter described andclaimed, the invention not being confined to the precise form of theparts shown and set forth.

In the accompanying drawingFigure 1 is a side View of the valve takenfrom a plane transverse the pipe it intercepts, Fig. 2 is a verticalsection (with parts in full and section) of the valve, said viewgenerally being taken at right angles to the view Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is ageneral view showing the device in connection with an engine and aheader and steam-supply pipe.

4 designates the engine, which, as usual, has a fly-wheel 4, a governoras seen at 4*, and the usual throttle as seen at 4.

The character 5 designates the goose-neck or steam-sup ply pipe thatleads from the header 6 to the valve chamber 7.

8 designates generally my improved cutoff valve. I locate said cut-offvalve in the steam-supply pipe 5 near the header 6, which is usually inan elevated position near the boiler and comparatively remote from theengine.

The valve itself comprises a suitable casing 9 into which sections ofthe supply ipe are threaded. In the valve casing wor (s a taperedflat-like sliding valve member or gate proper 10 having a stem 10 thatextends upward through a suitable hood and stuffing box at the upper endof the casing. The face of the gate on the steam-supply side is providedwith grooves 10 constituting ports, which, when the gate is closed onits seat, admit steam into the chamberabove the gate to hold it firmlydownward when it has been pulled down and seated. The upper end of thevalve-stem is provided with a shoulder 1O between which and the stuflingbox is interposed a coiled spring 11 to hold the gate normally butyieldingly up and in position to permit the passage of the steam supply,and to prevent the closing of the valve due to the weight of the gateand its operating lever if the steam should be shut off the line for anypurpose. Attached to the upper extremity of the stem is a lever 12fulcrumed in the upper end of a link 13 that is connected at its lowerend to an ear on the valve casing. Attached to the other end of thelever 12 is a chain 14 that hangs with its lower end within easy reachof the engineer. The lower end of the casing is furnished with ajack-screw 15, in a suitable stufiing box to prevent leakage, said screwbeing adapted to be turned to press upward on the lower end of the gatefor the purpose of safely and positively unseating it against the steampressure after it has been closed. My valve can be used in addition tothe ordinary throttle valve and when so used may ap ropriately be termedan emergency valve.

n practice, when it is observed that the engine is running away, or whena part of the engine is observed to be disabled and it is important thatthe steam supply be quickly cut off, it is an extremely safe,'simple andexpeditious operation to pull down the emer: gency valve by means of thechain 14.

Many times the water from the boiler is thrown over through thesteam-supply pipe 5 in such large quantity that the condensation tra andbleeder 16 therefor are incapable o carrying it off. In such cases thecylinder takes so much of the water that the cylinder-head is blown orforced out, thereby causing great loss of time and expense. The flowingof water into the steam-supply pipe causes a peculiar rattle andhammering well recognized by engineers and in such cases the blowing outof the cylinder-head can be forestalled by a prompt application of theemergency valve.

What 1 claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A cut-oil valve for the sup ly pipe of a steam engine consisting of ava ve casing, a sliding gate therein, means for normally pressing saidgate into open position, and means for manually and directly pullingsaid gate into closed position.

' 2. A cut-ofl valve for the supply-pipe of a steam-engine consisting ofa valve-casing, a sliding gate therein, means for normally andyieldingly holding said gate in open position, and means for closingsaid gate on its seat, said gate being provided With a port in its faceat the steam-supply side to admit steam pressure above it.

3. A cut-off valve for the supply-pipe of a steam-engine consisting of avalve-casing, a Wedge-shaped rectilinearly sliding gate therein, meansfor normally and yieldingly holding said gate in open position, andmanually operative means for closing said gate on its seat, said casingprovided with a screw-jack to turn against the end of the gate to unseatthe same after it has been closed.

4 A cut-off valve for the supply pipe of a steam engine consisting of avalve casing, a sliding gate therein, means for normally ressing saidgate into open position, means for manually and directly pulling saidgate into closed position, and a screw-jack to turn against the end ofthe gate after it is closed to unseat the same.

WILLIAM D. RANNEY.

Witnesses:

BENJAMIN FINGKEL, ALIcE B. CooK.

